1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire coil forming station to be arranged following a coiler with cooling line. The wire coil forming station includes a rotatable shaft extending with an inclination of 45.degree. relative to a horizontal base and mandrels mounted at equal circumferential distances and at an angle of 45.degree. relative to the shaft axis on the free end of the shaft. The shaft is rotatable for moving each mandrel successively into an approximately vertical coil forming position and into an approximately horizontal position in which the transfer of a coil to a longitudinally moveable and raisable and lowerable hook of a hook-type conveyor takes place.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of constructions of wire coil forming stations following a coiler with cooling line are known in the art. DE 35 25 089 C2 discloses a wire coil forming station following a coiler with cooling line which includes several receiving mandrels which are arranged at the end of a shaft in equal angular distances from each other and at equal angles relative to the axis of the shaft, wherein the mandrels can be pivoted by rotating the shaft successively into an approximately vertical coil forming position and into an approximately coil transfer position, wherein segments of the receiving mandrels can be moved in such a way that the circumference of the receiving mandrels changes.
This change in circumference is achieved by coupling the segments through a mechanical forced control to the shaft, so that the segments are moved during the rotation of the shaft in such a way that the circumference of the receiving mandrel changes.
This configuration requires a kinematic construction of the segments with a plurality of joint arrangements which are highly susceptible to trouble because the coil forming station produces large quantities of scale, dust and metal abrasion, so that the unit requires a lot of maintenance work and occasional interruptions in the operation of the unit occur because of failures.
DE 31 09 110 C2 discloses a device for forming rolled wire coils of a different operational and structural type. This device includes a vertical drop chute with two intermediate floors moveable in the chute, at least one cutting device arranged below and outside of the drop chute and moveable into a position for cutting a wire winding hanging from an intermediate floor, and a coil forming chamber located below the drop chute, wherein the coil forming chamber is provided with at least two coil plates with raisable and lowerable mandrels, wherein the coil plates are raisable and lowerable within the coil forming chamber. In this device, the invention resides in that the coil plates and the mandrels are arranged with their lifting drives on a carriage moveable underneath the coil forming chamber and that a two-part table plate fixedly arranged in the area of the coil forming chamber is provided between the coil forming chamber and the lowermost position of the coil plates.
For transferring the formed coils to a transport device for further conveyance, an upender of conventional construction is provided following the coil forming chamber as seen in rolling direction, but on the same level as the coil forming station, wherein the distance between the center of the upender and the center of the coil forming chamber corresponds to the distance between the two mandrels.